William Fraser Memorial Park (Pohe Island) development

The playground is a destination play experience for locals and visitors alike, featuring climbing structures, slides, a large sandpit, many swings, new toilets and space to run around.

While some of the earthworks and the toilet-block will be ready around mid 2023, the playground itself is open now. Our contractors on this project are United Civil Construction.

To complement the new Town Basin playground, the Pohe Island destination playground provides more adventurous play on a much larger scale.

Parking for the new playground is available at the large 272-space Pohe Island carpark, accessed off Riverside Drive. It is also accessible from the popular Hatea Loop walkway. 

The playground opened in December 2022 but will be formally completed and opened in mid 2023.

All three bike park facilities at Pohe Island are now open, available for use and looking great!

Facilities include the 800m circuit track, pump track and the Bike Park building which can be booked for events and includes lighting, power and toilets.

For those who are still working on their skills, the old BMX track beside the Hātea Loop has been resealed and has been very popular since its opening in September 2022.

For more information about these awesome facilities and to make a booking for a special event go to:

Book events on council land

There’s still more to come - a beginner skills track, and a mural is being organised by Creative Northland, to be painted after the skills track is finished.

Download full size: Pohe Island Master Plan map(JPG, 2MB)

Master plan document

The William Fraser Memorial Park on Pohe Island Master Plan was adopted by Council in September 2019.

William Fraser Park Master Plan(PDF, 35MB)

Re-nature

A programme of ecosystem creation is established across the site. Habitat areas include salt marsh, wetland, woody forest and tree stands.

Connectivity

A network of paths and trails around the site connect the various areas of the park and provide for people of all ages and abilities to move with ease around the site.

Spine path

A grand avenue is established along the east-west axis, connecting the path from edge to edge.

At the eastern end will be an elevated lookout which provides visual connections to the harbour and horizon.

At the western end will be a corresponding lookout that showcases views across the Hatea River to the Waka and Wave sculpture on the opposite shore.

New Bridge 

A feature of the spine path is a new bridge that rises up and over the road at the eastern end of the park, giving pedestrians priority and creating a means of activating the eastern edge of the park.

The spine path is a key spatial device to connect and distribute park visitors around the site via a series of transitions and nodes. These include:

Marine Hub 

The focus of the Marine Hub is to continue to bring together water related activities into a concentrated hub, in a way that allows both marine hub users and members of the public to interact and enjoy land/water activities.

A key new feature of this area is the pontoon and observation deck which will allow closer interaction with the river.

Hātea Hub

A place of informal recreation activities focused around play, picnicking, youth activities and informal events. This area will become a key family gathering space.

Gateway Hub

Strategically located at the intersection of the main road entrance and spine path, this is a place for visitors to meet up and distribute to the various destinations around the site.

Bike Hub

Building on the existing focus of this area for cycling related activities, the bike hub will offer a diverse range of biking experiences centred around a multi-purpose community gathering space.

The pump track, circuit track and asphalted areas at Bike Northland's Bike Hub have been completed recently and are now open for people who can't wait for the grand opening next year to enjoy right now.  

There is still more to come. A learn to ride area on the asphalt around the building, and beginner skills area, more toilets and the building gets a facelift. The remaining developments will be completed later this year as funding becomes available.